


Reality Check

by GwynDuLac



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Bond's retirement is not quiet, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 06:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19351450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwynDuLac/pseuds/GwynDuLac
Summary: Bond was hunting. Not deer or fowl on his estate in Scotland, as one might expect him to be three years after he had aged out of the double-o program and been retired from field duty.No, Bond was in London. Hunting spies.





	Reality Check

**Author's Note:**

> Not the first thing I've written in this fandom, but the first thing I have posted. Just a small, not entirely serious Bond-keeping-occupied-in-retirement thing.

Bond was hunting. Not deer or fowl on his estate in Scotland, as one might expect him to be three years after he had aged out of the double-o program and been retired from field duty. No, Bond was in London. Hunting spies.

Bond had been on the trail of his current target since early that morning, having eliminated one of her three compatriots the day before. Now he was just waiting for her to go back to her hotel so he could take her out of the game quietly, somewhere with no cameras. 

She politely held the door for him on the way into the lobby, smiling at the silver-haired gentleman in neatly pressed slacks and a quilted jacket. Entirely unmemorable in this upscale part of town. She didn’t see his face when he came up behind her in her hotel room later that night and pulled a trigger. 

The following morning he tracked down the third member of the team. He was easier to find than the woman had been, but put up a surprising amount of fight once Bond cornered him in an alley. He was younger and stronger and well-trained. But he still fought like a soldier, and Bond fought like the old spy he was - brutal and dirty. Bond came away bruised and limping, but victorious. 

The fourth and last member of the team was more of a challenge, one which Bond enjoyed. The woman had a military background, but had also worked as an intelligence analyst. She was smart, suspicious, and took more precautions than her colleagues. It took him the better part of two days to locate her, and half of another day tailing her to find a good opportunity to take her out. She nearly lost him once, but Bond’s experience served him well and he relocated her quickly.  Out of respect for her skill and efforts, Bond let her see him when he cornered her in the warehouse where her objective was hidden. He stepped out from behind a door, kicking it closed and cutting off her escape. He already had his gun raised, and he saw her swallow hard. But then her eyes moved away from the weapon and skimmed over him, taking him in with a narrow, curious gaze. Bond allowed it for a few moments. He knew perfectly well what she saw: silver-white hair and a craggy face, icy eyes, and stylish khakis and sweater rather out of sync with his killer’s gaze and steady hand on his gun. As soon as her eyes returned to the weapon, Bond fired. 

****

Q looked over the recruits before him. They were in an unused warehouse that MI-6 used for training and other purposes. “Four of you in six days. Only one of you lasted more than 24 hours once he started looking for you - congratulations, by the way, Chaundhri,” Q said with a little nod in her direction. Chaundhri looked pleased, despite the splatter of paint on the chest of her coat that showed where he had shot her with one of Q’s clever training guns just a couple of hours earlier. Q went on, “In all fairness to the four of you: you were set up to fail. The intent was to demonstrate to you what you will be up against when you’re sent out into the field for real.” That earned pursed lips and irritated looks from two of the four. One was simply impassive. Chaundhri actually smiled wryly and nodded as if to say ‘fair enough’. 

“You’re a field agent?” asked one of the annoyed recruits, nodding at Bond who was standing to Q’s left and half a pace behind him, still in his neat khakis and sweater. 

“Former,” said Bond with a slow, predator’s smile, “Aged out of the double-o program.”

Q jumped in, “And we’re fortunate that he decided to stick around and help train new agents, rather take a well-earned retirement.” 

Bond was secretly pleased at the reaction his words had gotten from the recruits, pale faces and wide eyes. So he offered them a mild smile and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing plenty more of me during your training.” That sounded more or less like a threat, though, so he softened it by adding, “I’m going to help teach you how to  _ survive  _ someone like me.”

****

Eve sipped at her cocktail primly and looked over the lip of the glass at Bond and Q on the other side of the table, then said to Tanner beside her, “I hear Bond spent the week terrorizing recruits.” 

“They need some terrorizing,” replied Q.

At the same time, Bond rumbled, “I prefer to think of it as providing a reality check.” 

“Most of the people they encounter in the field will be nothing like you, thank God,” commented Tanner without looking up from his plate of fish and chips.

“If they’re prepared for Bond, then they’re prepared for anything,” reasoned Q, an amused glint in his eyes, “Besides, letting Bond terrorize the recruits has the added advantage of letting me keep an eye on him and ensure he doesn’t get  _ too  _ bored.” 

“Bored double-o’s are dangerous indeed,” agreed Moneypenny with a quirk of an eyebrow, just as her phone, Q’s phone, and Tanner’s phone all rang in unison with the tone reserved for emergency alerts from work. 

“Sounds like you three are going to have a long night...” observed Bond, examining their faces as they checked the message. 

Q’s lips twitched minutely. “Actually, why don’t you come with us, Bond. I think your expertise could be useful.”

Moneypenny snorted quietly. “He means there are people at headquarters who could use one of your  _ reality checks _ ,” she said dryly. 

“Well then, we wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.” 

 


End file.
